For my 41st birthday, Chase and I went full fan mode with several of our friends and our daughter, Vivian. Naturally, we opted for the double feature of Wicked and Wicked: For Good with matching sweatshirts, intentional outfits, the whole thing. But somewhere between the tulip fields, the live vocals, and the Yellow Brick Road built brick by actual brick, I found myself thinking about… school communication.

Because Wicked isn’t just a musical, it’s a masterclass in storytelling, world-building, and the kind of intentionality that every district needs.

the yellow brick road: are you building a path people can actually follow?

One detail the filmmakers shared: the Yellow Brick Road wasn’t CGI. They built a real one. A REAL, yellow brick road made with mud and brick. Something the actors could walk on, touch, and trust.

And guess what? Wait for it...

School communication works the same way.

If families can’t see or understand where you're guiding them, they’ll make their own paths. (uh-oh). That’s when rumors start. Assumptions grow. Misinformation spreads.

Clear systems like newsletters, weekly rhythms, Thrillshare, Rooms, and communication calendars are your version of the Yellow Brick Road.

Something real.

Something sturdy.

Something walkable.

nine million tulips: visibility takes intentional planting

Wicked’s team didn’t digitally insert flowers; they planted nine million tulips by hand. It was slow. Meticulous. Unavoidable.

That’s the work of visibility in schools.

Culture doesn’t bloom because you announce something big once or post only in times of crisis.

It blooms when you plant:

• weekly updates
• real photos of kids learning
• teacher stories
• family celebrations
• student work
• superintendent reflections
• small, steady moments of connection
• 
  

Districts that communicate consistently are the ones whose communities say, “We see you. We trust you.”

And trust, much like tulips, only grows when something real has been planted beneath the surface.

depth needs space: stop cramming everything into one message

The Wicked team could have forced the entire story into one film. They didn’t. They gave the narrative breathing room.

School leaders often want to put everything into one email or one board report that (exhaustingly) contains every initiative, every update, every detail.

But families (and staff!) can only take in so much at once.

Great communication respects capacity.

Use phases:

• Launch the idea.
• Check in mid-year.
• Celebrate and reflect at the end.
• 
  

Tell the story like you would tell a musical: with pacing, intention, and room for people to catch up emotionally.

authenticity over perfection: the power of live vocals

In Wicked: For Good, many of the vocals were recorded live on set: real breath, real imperfection, real humanity. It blows my mind.

Families don’t want flawless PR.

They want presence.

They want to hear your voice, not “the district’s voice.”

A quick video from a principal, a handwritten note from the superintendent, a candid moment with students...I promise you right now, these beat polished perfection every time.